MONTREAL – CF Montréal earned its second win of the season Saturday night at Stade Saputo by shutting out the New York Red Bulls 2-0.
The winning goal came in the 25th minute of the game when an Aaron Herrera cross – targeting Chinonso Offor in the penalty area – was ultimately deflected in by Red Bulls defender Andres Reyes for an own goal.
The Montrealers then sealed the outcome of the match through midfielder Mathieu Choinière who doubled his team's lead late in the game (90'+2') as CFM played with 10 men following an Ilias Iliadis red card sending off in the 65th minute.
Up next, CF Montréal will face Sporting Kansas City next Saturday at 8:30pm EDT at Children's Mercy Park (Apple MLS Season Pass, RDS, TSN, BPM Sports, TSN 690) before hosting Orlando City SC on May 6 at 7:30pm at Stade Saputo.
COMPLETE SUMMARY HERE
MATCH NOTES
-Midfielder Ariel Lassiter earned his first MLS start with CF Montréal, while defender George Campbell played his first regular season game with the Bleu-blanc-noir.
-Mathieu Choinière scored his first goal of the season. It was his fifth career goal with the Club.
-Rudy Camacho reached the 10,000-minute mark in MLS play.
-Goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois earned his first career MLS shutout after making four saves.
HERNÁN LOSADA
“The three points were very important tonight. There are times when you must be combative and smart. I don't think we gave away many chances, even when we were a man down. Defense is a collective effort. I am happy for the players because we are very united. We tried to stay calm in the tougher moments. This year is a new year with several new players and a new coaching staff as well. In the context of last year's success, we must stay motivated as if we were starting from scratch. We talked to the leaders within the team and told them that we needed more from them. This type of performance must be the minimum standard for the future, both home and away.”
MATHIEU CHOINIÈRE
“The technical staff has confidence in me. I try to do what is asked of me. I know my role in the team. It allows me to go forward. Without the ball, we were solid tonight by closing down space in front of goal. My role was to win those second balls and accelerate in transition. The victory feels good. We will continue to work and improve further.”
JONATHAN SIROIS
“I think the guys had the right reaction after the red card. It was to double down on the effort. The guys made huge sacrifices in front of me. I'm very happy with the result tonight. They gave it their all. We worked hard defensively after the Vancouver game. We saw tonight that we are getting stronger defensively and that the players understand their role better. We have been working hard in video sessions on positioning to strengthen our defense and it showed tonight.”
